Return to Earth: New Orleans
by LadyLora13
Summary: An unknown sender begins to leave a trail for Liara, Tali, Garrus, and Joker to follow. The Normandy crew is invited to celebrate Mardi Gras in the floating city of New Orleans! But is Commander Shepard truly alive or is this a sinister trap?
1. Chapter 1

Liara took a deep breath then put her hand on the door. There was a pause as her print was scanned and in five seconds the door was open. She stepped into the cabin.

The fish tank taking up the wall to her left was empty and only a few lights lit up the room. Commander Shepard was gone, yet her echoes remained. Liara felt them in every corner and shadow of the Normandy. A mind as strong as Shepard's could not be forgotten.

"Oh, Liara!" cried a startled voice. "I didn't know you were on the Normandy."

Traynor stood up hurriedly. She had been sitting alone on the couch and Liara's entrance had spooked her. The Normandy's former communications specialist fumbled with the chessboard on the table. The holographic chess pieces vanished.

"If I had known you were here…" Traynor's voice broke. Tissues covered the floor. Liara could see tears brimming in Traynor's brown eyes.

"It's okay, Samantha," said Liara. She put a comforting hand on her back. "I should have come sooner, but I kept finding some reason not to." Liara looked at the cabin sadly, the bed stripped of sheets with a single office box sitting on the edge. "Organizing Shepard's files wasn't easy but having to go through her things… her belongings…"

"It's strange being in here. It's the same ship but the Normandy is darker and quieter now," whispered Traynor. The two fell silent.

Five months ago the ship had been at the heart of the war against the Reapers. Then, almost as soon as they had returned to Earth, the Normandy was ordered to pull back, leaving London and Shepard behind. The battle appeared to be lost, the Citadel's arms open bare, until the Crucible launched an attack of untold power. The Crucible was a success: Reaper ships crumbled, the sentient machines and their forces collapsed, and the Harvest ended. However the Crucible had an effect on more than just Reaper technology.

In a desperate race to flee the Crucible's might, the Normandy made a crash landing on a lone, distant planet in the Sol System. Nearly all technology shut down and the crew had worked frantically to bring them back online. They were stranded for four weeks on a wild, unfamiliar planet. Once the surviving technology was operational again, the Normandy rejoined the human Alliance and their alien allies.

Humans, asari, turians, and quarians had worked together to construct a station near the Charon Relay. The Crucible had destroyed the Mass Relays, the only means of traveling from one home system to the next. Organic races were combining their resources together once again not to wage war: to rebuild the roads that were lost. With the Citadel still defunct in earth's orbit the substitute station had become the command center for the various species left in the Sol System. But it was humans who had given the station its nickname that soon became officially recognized: Commander Station.

Liara wondered what Shepard would have thought of the station named in her honor. Commander Station was constructed from salvaged parts and every species worked together to keep the station afloat, krogan even worked alongside turians. Before the Reaper attacks such selfless cooperation was almost unheard of.

"Has the Alliance assigned a new captain?" Liara asked Traynor. Liara knew the human Alliance was trying to find a suitable new officer to command the ship. The Alliance crew Liara was familiar with had all taken reassignments or retired.

Traynor shook her head. "No, they haven't reached a decision yet." She continued as she knelt to clean up her tissue mess, "I came to say goodbye. I took a job on Luna. A team there is setting up a new comm buoy system and I volunteered to help."

"With your expertise I'll probably be making calls to Thessia by next week," commented Liara. She took a trash bag from the office box and offered it to Traynor.

"The project is going to focus on restoring transmissions between Earth and human colonies." Traynor threw her trash into the bag and bundled it tightly. "It will certainly be a challenge.

"But you have business here," Traynor spoke lightly, trying to sound professional. "I should get out of your way, so you can… organize Shepard's stuff…" Her eyes fell on the abandoned chessboard.

"If you're not too busy, I could use the help," offered Liara. She took the office box and moved it to the drawers beside the bed.

"I really should be going," said Traynor but she stared at the box wistfully. "My flight leaves at five am, but… Well, I can sleep on the ride there."

Liara sensed Traynor wanted to stay if only for a few extra minutes. Traynor had not known Shepard as long as Liara had, but specialist and commander had become fast friends. In fact Liara was a little jealous of Traynor. The asari could remember when Commander Shepard had been aloof and even cold, a soldier who had kept her team, humans and non-humans, at a distance. Traynor never met that Shepard; she knew Shepard as the dynamic and tenacious Spectre, feisty but practical. The years, the numerous missions, trials, failures, successes, had shaped Shepard. In just a few short years that edgy, solitary soldier grew into a confident, compelling leader.

Liara controlled her sudden rush of emotions. Collapsing in tears was immature and would only distress Traynor. Liara remained calm and composed. She was asari, a knowledgeable race that lived for centuries. Her mother and Shepard would not want her to waste time grieving.

Liara and Traynor started with Shepard's clothes. The Commander's armor had been taken by the Alliance but the items that belonged solely to Shepard had remained behind: spare shirts, pants, extra undergarments. Liara and Traynor carefully gathered what they could. Liara regretted that she couldn't find Shepard's formal black dress. Shepard must have moved some of her clothing to her apartment on the Citadel.

"I never saw the Commander in this!" exclaimed Traynor. She had a cropped black shirt in her hands and a pair of hip-hugging jeans in her lap. "These are high-dollar designer brand too. Wherever did she get these? And why didn't she ever wear them!"

Liara took the shirt and studied it. "Actually, I think Shepard bought these for Jack. Jack refused to wear anything Cerberus provided, so Shepard specially ordered these." Liara folded the shirt and placed it in the box. "Garrus told me Shepard and Jack would argue over a – what did he say exactly – 'uniform dress code'."

Traynor grinned mischievously and elbowed Liara. "Can't you just imagine Shepard in these? Everyone always said the Commander had the best assets," joked Traynor as she put the jeans away.

Liara had feared returning to Shepard's cabin would be a somber chore, but Liara and Traynor laughed together. The two continued working, the mood lighter. Liara and Traynor finished sorting through Shepard's clothing drawer. Next they turned to the bedside table and drawer. The drawer only contained pencils, pens, and two books. Liara examined one book, a sleek hardcover. The books were odd. Shepard hadn't exactly been a big reader.

"War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells," she read aloud. "This book is banned in every school on the Citadel. Mentioning it is blasphemy." Liara looked at the book quizzically. "Even holding an electronic copy warrants a fine." With the Citadel in its current state Liara wondered if anyone even remembered the great ban on the human classic.

"I remember hearing about that when I was in secondary school," commented Traynor. "The hanar took offense to certain elements. They thought it slandered the Enkindlers. Publishers finally agreed to stop producing hard copies. A hard cover edition of War of the Worlds is a really rare find now."

Liara opened to the first page. On the top right was a handwritten note, _To Shepard_, and below it a heart and the name Kasumi Goto written in English letters and Japanese kana. Liara passed the book to Traynor with a smile. Traynor's mouth opened into a little 'oh.'

Traynor placed the book on the pile of clothes. "Is that everything from the drawers?"

Liara held up the last book, a tattered paperback. The book was so old Liara couldn't read the faded title. Pages were held together by tape. This book was too worn out to be a collector's prize. Liara flipped through the pages and saw the title.

"I'm not familiar with this novel." Liara turned the book over in her hands studying it. She was curious. She was holding an artifact that linked her to Shepard's past.

"What is it? Sun Tzu's The Art of War?"

"Oliver Twist by… Charles Dickens," answered Liara.

"Another gift from our literary thief?"

"No…" Liara held the book gingerly as she studied certain pages. There were notes scrawled in the margins. "Do you know who the author is?"

"Of course! He wrote all the best known classics. Don't tell me you've never heard of A Christmas Carol."

"I was not aware there was a Christmas until fifteen years ago."

"Oh, right." Traynor cleared her throat, embarrassed. "Charles Dickens was an English author back in the 1800s. His works are timeless. Every child on Earth has probably had A Tale of Two Cities or Great Expectations as required reading."

Liara nodded, intrigued. "What more can you tell me about Oliver Twist?"

Traynor frowned in thought. "I've never read it myself, but I know it's the story about an orphan, Oliver, in London who gets caught up in some nefarious plot."

There was silence. Before on the Normandy EDI, an advance AI, was always quick to provide answers to any kind of question, be it turian military law, asari artwork, elcor mating calls, or human literature. The silence was another reminder of loss from the war.

"This was the last thing in the drawer," sighed Liara. She held the book in both hands, a piece of Shepard she never knew about. She hesitated and finally placed the book inside the box. "Next is her desk."

Traynor picked up the chessboard on the table. "Only this and her private terminal were left. Oh, and a ship model. Quarian." She folded the board and stuck it down in the box. There was just enough room to fit one more item.

Liara walked across the cabin. Shepard's private terminal sat in the same spot. It looked exactly as it did when Shepard was alive. Liara could even imagine the green light flaring to life, signaling a new message. The light would blink on and off, on and off.

In the emptied cabin, the green light suddenly flashed on. Shepard's terminal was active again for the first time in months. Liara pulled her hand back, eyes wide with surprise at the insistent blinking light.

"There's a new message," stated Traynor. She joined Liara beside the captain's desk. "There's a new message," she repeated, "at Shepard's private terminal?"

When the Normandy returned without Commander Shepard, the Alliance listed Shepard as MIA then deceased. A dead officer could not receive and follow orders. The news spread quickly and everyone who had served on Shepard's team knew she was gone. A dead Commander could not read and return their messages. With the system wide black out every hacking program that sent out junk emails had been terminated. A dead woman could not surf the extranet and click on shady, spam spewing sites.

The extranet was being monitored and time on the extranet was carefully divided. On Commander Station non-critical systems were kept offline until permission was granted. Shepard's terminal shouldn't have even been working; the Normandy should be on standby.

Then Liara remembered when she entered the cabin. The door had scanned her palm. Power on the ship should be at the bare minimum, lights and automatic doors. All the other doors and the elevator had creaked and worked mechanically.

"The cabin is online," said Liara, "but the rest of the Normandy is idle. Why?"

"Um, well, when I first came in here it was really dark. I might have tinkered with the control panel a bit," mumbled Traynor.

Liara's eyes remained glued to the terminal. She had sorted and archived all of Shepard's messages from her office on the station. The terminal in front of her was empty, or was suppose to be.

Liara pressed a key and the terminal monitor popped up. A screen asked for a password. Without hesitating Liara typed in the code: _Archangel_.

Password accepted, Liara opened the message screen and a new message icon appeared. The topic read _Pictures_ and the sender name was Norman Chekov. Improbably the message was dated with the current time.

"Do you recognize that name?" asked Liara. The message had been sent that day. Shepard's terminal was due to be wiped clean and recoded for someone else to use. If Liara had cleaned out Shepard's cabin a day earlier the message would have been lost. Perhaps it was only a message from Ariake Technologies confirming the old data's destruction.

"No," answered Traynor. She had been holding her breath, as suspicious as Liara about the odd message. "See if the message says anything."

Liara opened the mystery message. There was nothing to read. There was only a link to open pictures. Liara hit the open key.

The monitor revealed the first image. It was a photo of a human body lying flat on the ground. The picture was taken from the left of the body, providing a close up. The human was inside a black bag, but her face was uncovered. The face was that of a pale woman, covered in scars and burns, her blonde hair splayed about her face.

"They… They found her body," whispered Traynor. "They finally found her body." Traynor closed her eyes and put a hand over her mouth. "Oh, Shepard," she sobbed.

Liara's eyes narrowed. "That's not a dead body."

Traynor looked at Liara, shocked at the asari's detached voice. "What? What are you saying? Are you blind?!"

The next picture appeared on screen. It was of the same woman. She appeared to by lying on a cot inside a tent. Both her right and left arms were hooked into IVs, but the picture was too low to see the IV bags. Her eyes were closed, her face still burned and scarred. The pallor of death's shadow showed, but her cheeks had some color.

"The woman in these pictures is alive," stated Liara, "but barely." There were two pictures remaining.

The third picture showed the woman again, she was sitting up in the same cot. Some of the scars and burns had faded. This time her eyes were open. Pain clouded her eyes, but they were a familiar gold color. Tawny blonde hair with matching hazel eyes, the woman undeniably looked like Shepard.

"Liara, the sender may know where Shepard is!" Traynor had stopped crying. Her eyes hardened. "I can track the sender's location, find out where the message was sent, then we can – Dammit!" Traynor balled her hands into fists. "All the tech has been locked down!" She began to pace. "But I can override the codes, I can access the war room and use –"

Liara held up a hand. "Calm down, Samantha. If you hack into one of the computers you'll be charged with treason. It's not like flipping a switch on the control panel."

Traynor stopped pacing and wringed her hands. "Maybe if I present the pictures to Admiral Hackett he'll let us ."

"Let's not be hasty. This could be a prank or worse, a trap. The pictures should be analyzed first. That woman may only look like Shepard."

"How are we going to do that? Almost everything has to be done manually now! It'll take hours!"

Liara picked up Shepard's terminal and gave Traynor a sly grin. "It's no problem for me." Most of the Shadow Broker's top tech had been lost, but Liara had recovered enough to make the infamous information network the best in the galaxy.

"Right, then I'll help!"

"What about your job on Luna?"

"I'll… I'll…" Traynor threw her hands up and plopped down on the couch. Her post on Luna was a critical mission. The Alliance needed to regain contact with units beyond the Sol System. Millions of people anxiously waited for news about family and friends from worlds such as Terra Nova, Elysium, and Eden Prime. Traynor still did not know if her own parents were safe.

Traynor stood up. This was no time to be worried or uncertain. Her skills were needed in repairing the galactic wide communication system. Traynor was one of the few with in depth experience in operating QEC systems, and QEC might be the key to reestablishing contact with distant worlds. In her heart it's where she wanted to go, and she knew the Commander would have approved.

"I'm going to Luna," she said firmly, "but you'd better update me on what you find!"

"Of course. Until then, however, keep this between us."

"Agreed. It'll be a secret between us girls." Traynor took the box and placed it on Shepard's desk. "You have some work to do, Shadow Broker."

Liara smiled, glad to see Traynor no longer melancholy. But it wasn't just that. Liara felt a faint ray of hope. At last she had a lead on Commander Shepard and her final moments in the Catalyst. She did it once before, she could do it again. Liara would find Commander Shepard's body, warm or cold.

"Let me see the last picture before I leave," said Traynor, looking anxiously at the terminal. Her flight was scheduled to leave soon, and she had spent sleepless nights preparing. Now however she was too excited to consider sleeping. Traynor could still spend her free time finding out what she could about this 'Norman Chekov.'

Liara held out the terminal and opened the final picture. The two were dumbfounded. The last picture was a familiar face, but it wasn't Shepard. Two faces smiled contently their eyes full of love: one a dark-skinned man with close-cut black hair and a woman with caramel skin her face pudgy from pregnancy. They were Jacob Taylor and Bryn, the woman in her third trimester. Liara could make out something that looked like a temple in the background of the picture.

"They're in front of Westminster Abbey," noted Traynor. "Perhaps the sender is trying to tell us that's where the Commander is?" The picture was not unfamiliar to them; Bryn had sent all her friends copies. It had been taken months ago.

"It seems I have a lead," spoke Liara, her mind already at work. Jacob Taylor, an ex-Cerberus soldier, lived in London, England. After the war he and Bryn stayed on Earth, helping rebuild the city that had been at the center of the final battle.

"Be careful, Liara. I'll try to dig up dirt on this Norman whoever and send you what I find," said the Comm Specialist. Traynor held out her hand. Liara hugged her instead, the terminal squeezed between them for an instant.

"I'll message you as soon as I've found something," promised Doctor Liara T'Soni. She made to lay the terminal in the box, then saw the tattered copy of Oliver Twist. She picked up the book and laid the terminal down first, putting the fragile book on top. Liara wouldn't be turning Shepard's stuff in yet. A new plot was being set in motion with Chekov's pictures only the beginning.


	2. Chapter 2

An alarm blared throughout the quarian sector. Engineers and mechanics rushed back and forth, passersby pressed themselves against the walls to allow them room. "What is that alarm for?" "Did something malfunction again?" "Keelah, I hope it isn't another breach in the sickbay!" Worried quarians voiced their concerns out loud as the alarm continued to wail, adding to the siren's crescendo.

At last the alarm was shut off. "False alarm," announced a relieved voice over the intercom. "Repeat: False alarm. It was research. They tripped another signal. Repeat: False alarm." The announcement was repeated over and over again.

Tali'Zorah cursed under her breath. She already had a headache from that screeching wail of an alarm. It had gone off three times in under an hour! Her head throbbed. She wished the announcement would shut up already.

On Commander Station the only race that completely isolated its people were the quarians. They had a living sector cut off from the rest of the station; only those with a pass and envrio suit were allowed in. They had to withdraw from the other races. With their weak immune systems, quarians needed to keep their living space sanitary and self-contained.

Quarians were seen in other parts of the station. Their mechanical expertise had helped build Commander Station and they continued to overlook maintenance. Every quarian wore an environmental suit so they could leave their quarantined sector safely.

Tali shifted in her seat uncomfortably. Honestly she wished her people were a little more daring. After completing their Pilgrimage, quarians returned to the Flotilla often for life. Sharing quarters with other races was strange and unfamiliar. It was no secret that most Council races had once considered quarians untrustworthy. The Reaper War changed that prejudice; their actions had gained quarians acceptance and respect.

Still many quarians kept to themselves, with only the bold seen socializing outside work. Gossip was rife about Admiral Tali'Zorah who was known to spend her time among humans, asari, turians, and even that krogan Wrex! Admiral Han'Gerrel never left his people, but he was always on the move. He often gave rallying speeches to quarians soldiers, and the Admiral organized security. It had been Gerrel's idea to issue electronic passes so only non-quarians with business were allowed inside. Admiral Daro'Xen created these passes, but everyone knew better than to gossip about her.

Tali was not fond of Admiral Xen. Xen had issued a bounty on geth programs. The bounty had attracted many and a pile of geth built quickly. However Xen was very precise and as easily frustrated as she was frustrating. Tali had, on more than one occasion, stepped in between Xen and an angry krogan arguing about credits. Most of the geth brought back were useless, too damaged to be of any value.

After the Crucible launched all geth activity stopped. It was baffling but all their software was destroyed, leaving empty shells. Other programs and technology had been damaged by the blast, but they could be restored. Restoring the geth however may prove to be impossible. This left quarians in an odd situation.

Over 300 years ago, the geth had rebelled against their quarian creators and the quarians were driven off their home world Rannoch. Although the geth were not true artificial intelligent programs, the tale was used to showcase the dangers of unshackled AIs. When Tali was on her Pilgrimage, geth heretics attacked the Citadel when the indoctrinated Spectre Saren launched his invasion, their intention to open the Conduit for the Reapers to invade and wipe out organic life. Everyone in the galaxy feared and abhorred the geth, including Tali, her own father killed researching geth.

But Tali's views were questioned when a geth program named Legion appeared. The war between quarians and geth was brought to an end after Shepard ordered the quarian fleet to stop their assault. Geth were at last free, and, unbelievably, an uneasy peace was reached between the machines and their creators. Geth joined the war against the Reapers.

With the geth gone Rannoch would belong solely to the quarians. Their world was geth free. Yet without the geth, transforming Rannoch into a world suitable and safe for quarian physiology would take much longer. Geth software could have strengthened the quarians.

Tali understood Admiral Xen's ambitions to regain the advantage geth technology had offered the quarians. But she was reminded of her father and how his project had gotten him killed. Initially Admiral Xen and Tali worked together trying to understand exactly what destroyed the geth. Now the two admirals argued constantly. The bickering was exhausting Tali. Admiral Shala'Raan was with quarian live ships beyond the Charon Relay. Raan's voice was known to quell in-fighting among the admirals. Tali was alone in dealing with Xen's zealous goals and Gerrel's boisterous ideas.

That was why Tali wanted just one day to work in the engineering bay. She was among her people helping check maintenance on a cruiser. She was warmly welcomed and offered the job of her choice, configuring the ship's virtual intelligence program.

One day to herself. One day of peace of mind. One day doing work that mattered and she could enjoy.

And that one day was leading to an awful migraine. Even the voice of the VI was getting on her nerves. It was even worse than the alarms and the bosh'tet who kept coming on the intercom.

Maybe later she could take a break and visit Liara or Garrus. Liara was an expert on Protheans and her knowledge was helping rebuild the damaged relays. She even had her own office, but Liara was often too busy and she took hours to reply to private messages.

Tali frowned to herself. Garrus had rejoined the turians. Last she knew he had attended Primarch Victus's funeral. He replied to messages, and he would sit and listen to Tali complain about the stress inside the quarian sector and provide a friendly shoulder to lean on. But Garrus had changed. Grief haunted his face.

Tali remembered seeing that same haunted look on her father after her mother died. Years after his wife's death, Rael'Zorah still had shadows from her loss. Her father carried them to his grave. Tali wondered if Garrus too would be forever marked from Shepard's death.

"Um, excuse me, Tali, um, there's a, uh, message, for you, Admiral Tali…"

Tali realized someone was trying to get her attention. She snapped back to the present. A young male quarian, hovered behind her, his voice weak and hesitant.

"Veetor!" Tali exclaimed, recognizing the shy quarian. She turned around sharply, startling the boy. "What is it?"

"It's a message, um, addressed to, uh…" Veetor swallowed audibly and said the rest in a rush. "There's a package in Bay 4 and you're needed to verify it."

Bay 1 thru 4 were for food and medical deliveries. A doctor was usually needed to scan those supplies. Omni-tools had regained functionality, and they could detect if supplies were poisoned or not up to dextro-protein standards.

"What's the package? Is the medical team okay?" asked Tali as she stood up ready to leave. She signaled a quarian working on a monitor close by. The other quarian nodded and Tali's spot was quickly filled by someone else.

"The package is I don't know… Everything is okay… It was the address…" Veetor mumbled as he followed behind Tali. They walked towards the elevator that would take them out of engineering. As the doors closed the timid boy spoke clearly. "The package, it was addressed to Tali'Zorah vas… Normandy."

The name made Tali pause. No one on the station used that name to address her. Tali was no longer a crew member on the Normandy. She hadn't heard that name spoken in what felt like ages. Her headache was no longer such a concern.

Tali exited the Neema. Veetor stayed behind leaving Tali alone for an instant in the ship's airlock. She stepped off the ship and hurried through the crowds towards Bay 4. Her heart was beating so fast her ears rang from the pulse reverberating inside her helmet.

* * *

Living space in Commander Station was tight. Only slightly larger than Gagarin Station, it was centered between Pluto and the Charon Relay; the exact point humans had proposed to move Gagarin Station. Initially Commander Station was built to be a research hub for work on the relay, and it was first comprised of teams from the Crucible Project. There weren't plans to provide housing, but over time more sections were patched to the body and a metropolis was built. Commander Station had a population of two million with apartments, hospitals, schools, military facilities, and more than a few bars.

Liara had managed to find a small two-room apartment, tucked between the offices of the Alliance Fifth Fleet and the Asari Republic. She could keep a close eye on both, and humans and asari had the best information resources. If something big was happening on the station Liara would know within minutes.

The room was private and quiet with its own bathroom. Compared to her former glamorous apartment on Illium, it was a huge step-down, but Liara was content. Other apartments on Commander Station were no more than dorms with communal bathrooms. Life on Commander Station was gritty and everything had to be shared.

In Liara's bedroom, hidden from the front room by a curtain, monitors took up three walls. One wall connected to the station's security cameras. A fourth of the second wall streamed news, and footage from hidden cameras took up two-fourths, leaving the remaining blank. Liara sat at her desk facing the third wall. The Shadow Broker's face was pensive as scrolling screens of information froze on one picture.

Commander Shepard stared back at her.

Glyph had scanned the pictures sent by Norman Chekov. The pictures provided every angle needed of the woman's face: the bridge of her nose, cheekbone width and height, angle of her brow, her eyes. Each facial feature was recorded and compared to the biometrics on file. Liara ran the information through the system seven times, the result remained the same.

The woman in the photos was Commander Shepard.

Liara folded her hands together. She silently entreated the goddess. These pictures really did seem like a gift. But this evidence was not enough to prove the Commander was alive.

Liara looked deeply into photograph of those hazel eyes. Those eyes were in profound pain.

Commander Shepard could survive a terrifyingly huge fall. A skilled biotic could use a mass effect field to cushion a fall that would normally kill a human. Burns, broken bones, scratches were flesh wounds. An application of medi-gel could keep a soldier alive until a medic arrived. The Commander had always checked with Dr. Chakwas before a mission. One packet of medi-gel could make or break a mission: that was the motto.

The Shepard in the photo was suffering from internal damage. Liara noted the pale cheeks, the blue tint to her lips. It looked to be heart failure.

Liara brought up the second picture that showed Shepard's arms and her chest. A white blanket covered her chest, but Liara could see no signs of a bullet or stab wound. Shepard was hooked to three IVs, two in her right arm and one in her left. One IV in her right arm was obviously a blood transfusion; the other tube was full of clear liquid, rehydrating fluids. The third tube in her left arm had to be medication.

Liara enlarged the image and focused on the IV in the left arm. "Glyph, identify the substance in this IV."

When Liara became the Shadow Broker she obtained Glyph, a virtual intelligence that catalogued data for the Shadow Broker's library of information. When modern technology and the extranet crashed, Glyph shut down. Liara fortunately had enough back up OSDs to bring the drone back, but not all of his capabilities were restored. Glyph performed his tasks on mute.

Glyph posted the results on screen. It was an error message. Again. The drone had proven Liara's guess correct on the other two IVs, but the third remained unknown.

Liara brought all three photos of Shepard on screen. So far Liara had been able to verify that the woman was Shepard, but she still didn't know the exact location. It appeared that Shepard was in a tent for two photos – perhaps a field hospital?

All four photos were dated and occurred between October and November, 2186. The pictures were taken months ago, yet the message had just been sent that day: February 12, 2187.

But if Commander Shepard had been found, why hadn't the Alliance contacted the Normandy? If she was alive Shepard would try and contact her crew, but the last person to have spoken to Shepard was Admiral Hackett when he ordered her to activate the Crucible. The Alliance managed to trace Shepard's signal and found a portion of the Citadel that had crashed to Earth. Two bodies had been recovered. Admiral Anderson's body had been recovered, and a hero's funeral was held in London. Shepard had been honored in the funeral, but her casket was empty. Portions of her armor, her broken omni-tool, and her radio were found scattered among the rubble, but no physical body. Reports assumed Shepard's body had been disintegrated, like so many others in the Harvest.

Liara had to find out more, and she had two more clues: the name Norman Chekov and the final picture with Jacob Taylor.

Liara had sent a message to Jacob asking him to set up a vid comm. Commander Station was linked to Earth and every colony and station in the Sol System. Communication with Palaven and Thessia were not yet possible, but Liara could call London.

While she waited for Jacob's reply Liara tried to find what she could about the sender. Glyph went through records in the Alliance searching for anyone connected to a Norman Chekov. There were 89 officers, alive and dead, who went by the name. She couldn't find one with a solid connection to Commander Shepard. There had been a Russian prime minister by that name and a band called _Chekov's Gun_, but the prime minister and musicians died more than sixty years ago.

Liara had traced the message back to its source. The message had been sent from a public terminal. Anyone could access one of those, and a hacker could easily abuse one. But to send a message to Commander Shepard's private terminal required her address, and that was not common knowledge. Could this Chekov have stolen the address? Or did Shepard share it?

What truly baffled Liara was exactly where the public terminal was located: an airport in Baton Rogue, Louisiana.

If Shepard had been found she would've been near the wreckage of the Catalyst in London. The photo of Jacob and Bryn had been taken in front of Westminster Abbey. Enough time had passed for her body to have been moved, but for what reason?

"What on Earth is Shepard doing?" voiced Liara out loud.

* * *

Tali was stunned at the sight before her in Bay 4. Quarians crowded outside the entrance peering in excitedly. Soldiers kept the crowd back as doctors examined the contents of a large crate. The crate was the size of a house. Sealed boxes wrapped in colorful packaging spilled from the crate.

"Ah, Tali," greeted Admiral Gerrel. The crowd parted as he approached and Tali, still trying to process what was going on, was led inside the Bay. Gerrel patted Tali on the back. "You continue to surprise me! This little gift will raise morale. A very magnanimous gesture. Any captain who doubted you before will think twice now!"

Gerrel led Tali to a doctor who was directing the others. The doctor was typing into her omni-tool. She raised her head and acknowledged Tali.

"Yes, thank you Tali'Zorah," the quarian doctor spoke, she sounded annoyed. "Four hundred pounds of chocolate is exactly what we needed."

"Ch-chocolate?" asked Tali. She watched the doctors carting away vibrant purple and gold packages. "You mean to tell me all of this is about chocolate?"

The doctor reached into a box at her feet and pulled out a candy bar. "Twelve dozen cartons of Wonder Chocolate. Five hundred bars in each carton." She held out the candy bar as if it were evidence from a crime. "The label claims it is 'Dextro-protein friendly.'" The claim was written in English and Turian on the brightly colored wrapper.

Turians were one of the three Council Races, renowned for their military prowess and mighty fleet. The highly esteemed turians shared a certain trait with quarians: their chemical makeup was based on dextro-proteins. Food from Earth that was levo based could not be digested in their systems. Since the Relays were destroyed, supply lines were cut. There was enough nutrient paste to last both turians and quarians decades, but the paste was dull and flavorless. Quarians could get by on nutri-paste, but turians, use to a carnivorous diet, would have struggled.

As Commander Station was being built, factories on Earth began producing dextro safe food. Scientists provided samples of flora and fauna from Palaven and gourmets put their kitchens to the test. Commercial companies advertised their own spins on well-known dishes and fought to impress turians and quarians with their cuisine.

In her lifetime Tali had only ever seen one candy bar that was safe to eat. Now she was in a cargo bay with four hundred pounds of chocolate, friendly chocolate.

"Do you know what this means, Admiral?" asked the quarian doctor dropping the candy in Tali's hand. "The medbay will overflow! I'll be treating stomach aches for weeks to come! I'll have to wash Keelah knows how many helmets!"

"Calm down, Gima," chuckled Gerrel. "The chocolate will be rationed accordingly. No one will get sick."

"That's what you said about the strawberry ice cream! And look where that landed us! Three weeks of work lost because your soldiers can't control themselves! I never saw so much pink!" Doctor Iera'Gima threw her hands into the air and pointed at the candy with a shaking fist. "Our systems aren't use to food like this! We'll -"

"Adapt," finished Gerrel.

"Adapt and grow fat! We'll have to be fitted for whole new suits!"

"Doctor," said Tali at the frustrated doctor, "I was told the package was addressed to me."

"Weren't you the one who ordered it?" asked Gerrel.

"No!" Tali looked at the chocolate bar in her hands. "I think I would remember if I did! I don't even know who paid for all this."

An assistant overheard Tali and approached. He held up a clipboard with a glowing blue screen. "I have the form right here. It still needs a signature."

Tali traded the chocolate bar for the clipboard and studied the screen. The recipient was posted as Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. Apparently the package had been left with the human Alliance first before being sent to the quarian cargo bay. A package of candy being sent to an Alliance ship on standby, that was bizarre. An Alliance officer had examined it first and after seeing it was harmless passed it to the quarians and the true addressee.

Tali found the sender's name. It was simply Captain, with no other name provided. The sender's address was a city on Earth. Tali didn't recognize it.

"Sign here." The assistant pointed to a line at the bottom with the edge of the candy bar.

"You have a friend back on Earth?" asked Gerrel. "Perhaps your friend could send some of that gelatin food? Jell-O?"

"This friend better send 'dextro-friendly' antacids next!" screeched the doctor. Standing beside her, the assistant began to tear open his chocolate bar. "You're only allowed one-fourth of that!" she warned.

"I don't think I know anyone in… Louisiana," Tali carefully enunciated the strange word. She scrolled up on the form and saw that the sender had left a note.

"_Share and don't make yourself sick. Remember what happened with the cheese."_

The clipboard fell from Tali's hand. It clattered to the floor as she stepped back, her eyes wide.

"Tali, what's wrong?" asked Admiral Gerrel.

"I… I need to go…" Tali grabbed the clipboard off the floor and hurriedly signed her name. She threw the clipboard back to the stunned assistant. "And I need to take samples!" She snatched up candy bars and stuffed three into a pocket at her hip. She dashed towards the entrance, one hand holding the candy to her side.

"She was in a hurry," muttered the assistant, juggling the candy bar and clipboard.

Doctor Gima folded her arms across her chest and looked at Admiral Gerrel pointedly. "See? See, I knew something like this would happen! We're eating too much human food. Admiral Tali is suffering from an illness called sugar rush!"


	3. Chapter 3

"Okay, she's finally down for a nap. We can talk in peace now."

Jacob Taylor reappeared on the vid screen. His face looked exhausted as if he hadn't slept for days. He rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"How can someone so tiny scream so loudly!" he extolled flashing a sleepy grin. "Maybe she'll grow up and become a drill sergeant."

Jacob beamed with pride. His joy was almost contagious. Liara couldn't help being tickled. "Little Jessica sounds like she's keeping you and Bryn busy."

From her sitting room on Commander Station Liara watched Jacob from the vid comm. It had been six hours since she had messaged him requesting a video conference. Liara was anxious to question him, but shortly after Jacob first came on screen they had been interrupted by Jacob's three week old daughter.

Liara realized she was sitting at the edge of her couch and laid back. A computerized picture frame sat beside the vid screen on the coffee table. Chekov's four pictures were uploaded onto the ordinary frame.

"We're surviving. I only sleep two hours a night and I've had nothing to eat or drink but coffee for a month, but no complaints."

"I am grateful you replied as soon as you did. I wanted to ask you some questions concerning an odd message I was sent." Liara reached for the picture frame. She had to approach this tactfully. With the fourth picture on screen Liara held up the frame. "Do you remember when this photo was taken?"

Jacob's face lit up with recognition. "Yeah, I remember that day. It was back in October. Architects were reconstructing the cathedral. Half of it was still rubble when we were there. Bryn and I were taking a day off work and she wanted to check it out."

In the photo the grand towers of the gothic abbey pierced the sky, but they were asymmetrical. The clock tower stood tall but the roof of the second had crumbled. Some rigging and construction equipment hung off the side of the building. Nothing in the background appeared overly suspicious.

"Did you notice anything unusual while you there?" asked Liara. She was not planning to mention the other three photos yet.

"No, not really. We didn't go inside. There was too much construction going on .The guy who took the picture was a little strange though."

That piqued Liara's interest. Why had this picture of Jacob and Bryn been included in the photos sent to Shepard's private terminal? To Liara's knowledge the three photos of Shepard were not public. Jacob's photo was no secret; Bryn had sent copies of it to her friends and coworkers on Commander Station. Was it possible the photographer was the same person?

"Did you know the photographer?" Liara asked.

Jacob shrugged. "I had never seen him before. He was dressed casually, no armor or uniform that could give him away. Bryn and I stopped to eat lunch in front of the church and he just walked up to us and offered to take our picture."

"He was alone?"

"Yeah. He looked like your average, skinny guy, kind of geeky. His hair was bleached white. I figured he was one of the artists helping reconstruct the Westminster area. What was really weird was his omni-tool."

Omni-tools were multi-purpose devices carried by soldiers and civilians. They could be used to store and apply medi-gel, analyze and configure data, download and play video games, record and send messages, nearly an endless number of tasks. Omni-tools were common and widespread in the galaxy; all soldiers had armor equipped with at least a basic model. They were the first piece of tech to regain full functionality after the war.

Jacob tapped a finger to his temple. "He wore omni-glasses. He used them to snap the picture then sent it to Bryn's omni-tool. And then he just bowed and walked off."

"He wore glasses? It wasn't a visor?" That was strange to Liara. Most people accessed their omni-tool from their arm. Personalized gear wasn't uncommon, but turning an omni-tool into glasses would cut the size down and limit its functions. With advances in modern medicine, glasses were a fashion choice - not a prescription.

"They were glasses. He even took them off and a keyboard popped up. Like a normal omni-tool just smaller. But…" Jacob was obviously curious why Liara was so inquisitive. "Bryn tried to send him a thank you note, but the message bounced back. It didn't go through."

"He didn't leave a name or address?"

"No. Liara, why are you so interested? What's going on? Do you know the guy?"

Liara gazed into the picture frame in her hands. She placed it back down on the table. "I have evidence that he may be withholding bodies of Alliance officers."

Jacob narrowed his eyes. "What? I haven't heard anything about that."

"Does the name Norman Chekov mean anything to you?"

"Never heard it before. Liara, tell me what's going on."

Liara sighed. It was too soon to reveal the truth, but Jacob had worked alongside Commander Shepard. He left Cerberus when Shepard cut ties with the Illusive Man. Jacob had fought beside Shepard when Liara could not.

"I believe Norman Chekov may be holding Commander Shepard's body. I don't have enough facts to know for sure. The man who took your picture may have been him. You don't know if Norman Chekov is a name in Cerberus?"

The Illusive Man was dead, but Cerberus splinter cells still remained. Even after the war terrorists still targeted human and alien militaries. Their attacks and actions were unorganized without their leader. With the help of ex-Cerberus operatives like Miranda Lawson, the Alliance was hunting down and stopping the once feared pro-human organization. It was possible Norman Chekov belonged to a Cerberus faction still trying to grasp power.

"The Poindexter I met didn't look like Cerberus." Jacob folded his arms. "There hasn't been anything major here since the raids on turian supplies. And the Blue Suns were behind those attacks."

Liara knew the incident Jacob spoke of. In London ships and warehouses holding food and medical equipment meant for turian troops were attacked. Turian officers had been killed and soldiers died cut off from proper medical care. The situation had been dire, hostility ignited between human and turian. A second war between the races was avoided when Alliance Marines and the British military found the radicals' base and recovered stolen medical equipment and turian prisoners. The radicals had all been humans wearing the Blue Sun insignia.

Liara formed a timeline in her mind. The attacks on turian supplies had occurred in late September and ended in mid October. The three pictures of Shepard were dated during the raids. Liara feared that was not mere coincidence. The Blue Suns had been hired by the previous Shadow Broker to locate Shepard's body when the first Normandy was destroyed.

"How is Shepard connected to this?" asked Jacob.

"Norman Chekov sent pictures to Shepard's private terminal."

"And he had pictures of me?"

"Only the one so far. The others were of Shepard."

"Show me."

Liara hesitated. "Jacob… It's too risky. If I involve you Bryn and Jessica may be put in danger. I can't do that. You may already be at risk."

Jacob looked ready to argue then stopped himself. He was a father, and he had a new life, a new job. As much as he wanted to find this Chekov bastard and knock his teeth in, he had a family to protect. They came first.

"Fine. But tell me you're not doing this alone."

"As I said before, I don't know how dangerous this could become. Once I find out more I'll -"

"Liara, the crew deserves to know about this," spoke Jacob solemnly. "Tell me you're not going after Shepard alone. If some bastard has his hands on Shepard's remains, who knows what the hell he might be planning. I'm going to tell Major Coats to keep an eye out for that glasses-wearing photographer."

Before Liara could answer a familiar cry was heard. The tiny infant cried plaintively. Jacob looked into the screen one last time.

"I'll be here taking care of little Jessica. Get the crew together and find Shepard."

Jacob hit a button on his end and the screen went blank. Liara was left alone in silence. She picked up the picture frame. Jacob's last words echoed in her thoughts. As she contemplated her next step, providence made the decision for Dr. T'Soni.

* * *

And scene! Phew. I took a while with this update. I had a super crazy December and January isn't looking any less hectic. Anywho. I am LadyLora13 (aka JessicaAlbert13) and this is my fanfic for Mass Effect. I am a humble fan of BioWare's space adventure RPG.

Anyways ~ this fanfic certainly isn't getting much attention, but I'm gonna keep at it. Any feedback and whatnot would be helpful. For one I do not know if I have the timeline straight! Grah! How many months/weeks it's been! I'm gonna have to go back and re-read my work to make sure I'm not accidentally skipping any months. Jumping between RPG worlds hurts my head trying to keep the game timelines, worlds, and character voices straight! GRAH!

Thanks for reading ~ (if anyone is even seeing this - so much empty space)!


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